Life is a Highway
by TheFlyingPancake
Summary: Several days after the Florida 500, Lightning reflects on why he made the choices that he did, how much his life has changed because of them- and the new beginnings that are just ahead. Life is, after all, a highway, and you must travel the road you see fit. One-shot. (Warning: MAJOR spoilers for Cars 3, set right after/during the ending of the movie) Reviews very much appreciated!


No matter how many times he saw it, Lightning knew that watching the sun rise over Willie's Butte would never fail to take his breath away.

The sky was just taking on a hue of vivid pink as the sun yawned and stretched and slowly made its ascent into the beautiful Arizona sky. The dark blue- Gosh, he was still getting used to that -racecar came to a stop at the top of a gentle rise overlooking the Butte, the sandy dirt feeling good against his wheels. He kept his gaze on the sky, quietly marveling at the simple beauty of nature, something he would have never even considered doing in his rookie days.

 _It's been a while. I've missed this place.._

Then, he glanced towards the circle of land ahead of him, tire tracks faintly apparent in the early morning light.

As always when his eyes came to rest on the old dirt track that wheels- _His_ wheels -had worn in, his gaze softened, the corner of his mouth gently curling upwards in a faint half-smile. The place was full of memories.. Some embarrassing, like the time he drove into a cactus patch, some amazing, like a race at night with only the wind and sky for company, and some.. some...

Images, unbidden, flitted to his mind. The old "grandpa" car, his gravely voice urging him on, pressing him to make those turns better, better, and still better, even when Lightning couldn't drive any longer and his frame was sagging from exhaustion. Talking over a mug of oil, about racing tips, the latest competition, or just fooling around, like him pretending to fall asleep just so Lightning could try his best to prank him (it never worked, but that didn't stop him from trying.) The same car, racing beside him, bantering with him, laughing, being the best car a guy could ever ask for..

Lightning let out a soft sigh, sinking slightly into his chassis. _You'd laugh, but hey, I'd be lying if I didn't say it.._

 _..I still miss you, old man._

Some of those memories could be bittersweet, too.

The thought took his mind back to the more recent past. The first race with Storm and all that had followed seemed like a dream now, but the effects of these events would last a lifetime. Ford, it was mind-boggling to think of just how much his life had changed in the past three weeks.

A bitter taste filled his mouth as he recalled the race that had nearly cost him his career.

He had stood up to Chick, and Francesco, and every single overblown ego that had come his way without blowing his top - too much. But Storm had been something else. First, the sarcastic politeness. Then the casual, icy taunts. He still couldn't get over how somebody could be so calm and yet deliver such vicious insults at the same time.

 _Oh.. Oh wait. I used to do that too. Never mind.._

 _But.. I mean, I was bad, but I was never_ that _bad,_ Lightning amended. _..Right?_

Lightning knew he shouldn't have let the kid - a freakin' _rookie_ \- get under his paint like that, but he had. Like any fool, he had let the kid make him angry.

 _Chrysler, I fell for my own stupid tricks.._

And he had payed the price. Boy, had he payed the price.

Lightning rubbed a tire in the soft dirt under his wheel, gritting his teeth slightly as he remembered the agonizing pain of the crash, and the months afterwards spent in the recovery unit. He had never had a crash that bad. He had watched Doc's crash on the old tapes, and he had seen The King's crash firsthand.

But never, ever had he considered that he would have a crash just like it..

 _What is it, some kind of rite of passage that old grandpa racers have to take?_

 _..Aw great, I just called myself an old grandpa car. Yeah, I'm REALLY doing great today.._

No doubt about it- that crash had been the lowest point of his career.

And it was all because of that one dang-blasted, over-confident, sleek little _punk_..

The sun continued to rise. Now, it was starting to shed fingers of light on the old track in front of the racecar.

Lightning bit his lip, and lightly shook out his cab, trying to clear his mind of the cobwebs of the recent past, but one thing would not leave him alone.

 _I dang near worked my bumper off for that win.._ He thought, thinking back to the Florida 500. He clenched his teeth. _I was gonna show everyone that doubted me that they were wrong, that they were complete and total_ idiots _to doubt me.._

The racecar's frame sagged slightly.

"..So why did I give it away?" he whispered out loud.

The answer, as it were, turned out to be just around the corner.

A flash of yellow came speeding across the scoop in the canyon wall.

"Whoa!" Lightning cried as he revved backwards slightly, surprised at the intrusion on his thoughts. He narrowed his eyes and then moved ahead a few tirecycles back to his former position. "What are you doing out here so early..?" he murmured to himself as he recognized the speeding form of.. Cruz Ramirez.

A wry smile graced his fender.

Cruz Ramirez. What a story behind _that_ one..

"She's really something, isn't she?"

Lightning jumped again, and then sank into his chassis in a mixture of annoyance and relief as he realized who it was. "Geez!" he muttered, shaking his cab. "Would this please stop happening?"

Sally, for it was she who had spoken, pulled up alongside him, an eyerim quirked in amusement."What? Did I interrupt your early morning soul-searching again? Whoa, still getting used to that dark blue paint.."

"Well, as a matter of fact I-" Lightning paused, and then smirked, his gaze softening as he looked at the car he loved. "..You always know, huh?"

"Stickers, sometimes I think I know you better than you know yourself," Sally chuckled. She moved a little closer to her boyfriend, letting out a soft sigh as she relaxed next to him. "Also, you had that sort of dazed look that you get when you're thinking those deep, philosophical racing thoughts."

"Sal!"

"Sorry."

Lightning good-naturedly attempted to shove her away before the two chuckled and resumed their previous positions.

Banter momentarily forgotten, they both turned their eyes back to the track just as Cruz came to the fateful turn, the one that had given Lightning so much trouble when he had first arrived in Radiator Springs. As the number 51 racecar rounded the bend, her cries of ' _Nope, no not this time, no NO GOSH DANG IT!'_ could be faintly heard as she failed to make the turn and harmlessly spun out- straight into a large tumbleweed. There were some muffled coughs before the young racecar (admittedly muttering some rather colorful phrases) shook off the tumbleweed and drove back to the starting line.

Suddenly, Lightning let out a burst of laughter. "I don't believe it. She's actually doing it..! Ah, I should have known," he chuckled, his frame shaking in mirth.

Sal yawned quietly - it _was_ rather early, after all -and glanced at him with a puzzled smile. "Hey.. Mind letting me in on this?"

Lightning chuckled, attempting to regain his composure as he tried to explain. "Oh, Lord.. Well, you see, the kid and I had this conversation the other night.. and somewhere along the lines, we got to talking about my 'unconventional' training methods again.. And I- heh -I told her all about me and the Butte."

"Even the cactus patch?"

"Even the cactus patch." Lightning swallowed a laugh, a grin plastered on his fender. "I told her every dang detail. Well, as soon as I finished talking, she got this look on her face- you know how she is -and then she told me that she was going to be out here every morning until she got that turn. And- Manufacturer bless her -she was telling the truth..!" His laughter spent, Lightning let out a happy sigh, shaking his cab in wonder. "Wow. I wouldn't be surprised if she gets it all by herself, too."

Sally smiled. "Well, she has a great teacher."

 _Oh._

Lightning swallowed, his eyes still trained on the yellow flash tearing around the Bute.

 _And how did I get to be that teacher..?_

The critical moment in the race came back to him.

" _But Mr. McQueen! You can't do this, this is your last chance..!"_

" _This is my last chance.. To give you your first."_

Heck, looking back he didn't know if his words were sincere or not. In the days since the race, he had even looked back and cringed at those words. He had sounded like some kind of chump, giving Cruz the race because he had accepted that he was finished, accepted that the haters had been right, and had given the race to her because they all knew that she was the only one who had a chance of winning.

He had read the letters from his fans that had come pouring in since that fateful day. Some of them were very supportive, calling him "noble" and "a credit to racing history". They had applauded his choice to give the race to Cruz, who had never had a chance to prove herself.

Others..

Others had asked the same question he was asking himself.

" _You worked so hard for this.. Why did you give it up?"_

It had just been a stroke of luck when he had been counted as a dual winner. Fans still called it a "victory" for McQueen.

Then, Lightning remembered his talk with Smokey.

" _I'd never seen the old guy so happy.. as when he was training you."_

"Stickers?" Sally's questioning tone cut through his thoughts. "Stickers? Is something wrong?"

Cruz was rounding the bend again.

 _Flash._ The beach.. Teaching her how to drive on the sand..

 _Flash._ The crazy race at Thunder Hollow. Showing the kid how to get out of the mud..

 _Flash._ The practice runs at Thomasville. Watching her overtake him.. Grow better with each piece of advice..

 _Flash._ Coaching her at the 500.. Watching her confidence swell as he talked to her, urged her on.. That feeling of pride as she merged his training with the training that Doc had passed on to him..

He had never felt so alive..

"Hey, she looked better that time around," Sally said.

"You know, it's funny.. It's like watching you all over again."

Suddenly, Lightning knew he hadn't given up anything.

Instead, he had won something very precious.

"Yeah," he said softly, still deep in his thoughts. "..Yeah, it's pretty cool, isn't it?"

Now Sally looked at him, her aqua gaze a little concerned. "Stickers.. You sound kinda out there. Now, are you sure there isn't anything wrong..?"

Lightning shook out his cab, clearing his mind for the umpteenth time. "Yeah. Yeah, I'm fine."

He paused.

Cruz was going back to the starting line.

"Y'know," he said quietly, almost to himself, "I don't think I'll mind staying out of the limelight. In fact, it's looking.. it's looking pretty nice so far."

Sally blinked at this uncharacteristic acceptance. "Oh.. well, that's good! But.. Wait, I thought you were going to keep on raci-"

"Oh no, I'm still racing. Charity races and stuff. But what I'm most looking forward to is right down there." Lightning nodded towards Cruz, who was now at the starting line, ready to face the challenge of the difficult bend again. "Teaching the kid, like the old man taught me. After all, what else am I gonna do with all the lore he taught me?" He chuckled. "He'd kill me if he knew it was going to waste."

Lightning sighed quietly. "I wish I could see him. Wish I knew if I was doing the right thing.."

"Lightning." Sally touched her tire to his. "Cruz is a fantastic car. She'll do fine, because she's got you"

Cruz was bouncing on her wheels now, apparently muttering some pre-race meditation.

"You're doing _great,"_ Sally continued firmly. "And don't you dare let anyone ever make you think otherwise."

Lightning's engine warmed at her comfort. _How on Earth was I lucky enough to have this car fall in love with me_ _..?_

The racecar glanced at her tire next to his and then shifted his gaze to her. "You'd tell me if I weren't. That one I _do_ know," he said, cheekily quirking an eyerim at her.

Sally playfully swatted him. "You're darn right I would. Happy now?"

"Very." Lightning smiled at her and turned his gaze back to the track. "Y'know, The King has retirement down right. He stays outta the spotlight, writes the occasional book, runs a few charities, and everyone loves him. Also, he has Mrs. The King."

Cruz was racing along the canyon scoop. Attempting the turn again.

"Y'know, it must be nice to be married to the girl you love. And he did it at the right time. Not too early in his career, not too late.." He kept his eyes on Cruz, distracted. "I'd like that.."

Next to him, Sally sucked in a breath, her eyes widening. "Stickers..?"

Suddenly, Lightning realized what he was saying. His eyes widened and he coughed. "Uuhm.."

Then, Cruz rounded the turn perfectly.

" _Wha- ooOoh yeah I DID IT! WOOOO YEAH BABY! Turns can SUCK IT!"_

As the yellow racecar's victory cry reached their ears (or lack thereof), Lightning practically pounced on the distraction."Oh hey! She made it!" He pumped a tire in the air. No need to fake his enthusiasm. "Yeah! Awesome! GonnagocongratulateherbyeSal..!"

As the racecar sped off towards the track to congratulate his apprentice, Sally chuckled, thinking back to her boyfriend's statement about marriage.

"Well. Still have to work on that one, I guess," she said to herself with a grin, before she turned around to drive back to Radiator Springs to start the day.

And, as the early morning sun spread its light over the wild beauty that is Arizona, two cars- one dark blue, one yellow -sped around a dirt track, on the road to new beginnings.

Life is a highway, after all.

* * *

 **And there we go, my first (and probably only) Cars fic! Just wanted to express my take on what went through Lightning's head in the days following the big race. Kinda unoriginal, I know, but I'm fairly pleased with it.**

 **I've been thinking about Cruz attempting to do the Willie's Butte turn, but I imagine she could get it in a shorter amount of time since she had already had some experience on dirt tracks. Also, I love Lightning/Sally, hope I portrayed it okay ^^ Also, the letters from the fans were kinda based on the different reactions from fans to the movie, in case you didn't catch it. Hope you guys like this! :) Please let me know if how I portrayed the characters was okay and if you have any comments or constructive criticisms!**

 **Thank you so much for reading! :D**

 **P.S. I was greatly inspired by PixelEm's beautiful Cars fics! Check them out, they are AMAZING :O**

 ** _Update 7/19/17_ : Holy mother of peanut brittle.. 6 reviews in two days? YOU GUYS ARE AMAZING :DD Many thanks to PlatoOfAncientRoam34 for pointing out the typo! (I was writing 'Bute' when it should have been 'Butte') To all those who are asking for a continuation, I don't want to go on with this particular story as I feel it might be anticlimactic, even though I love the ideas you gave me. But.. There might just be another, separate one-shot in future.. ;3**

 **Thank you all again so much! :) Your reviews are so _nice_ dang I'm not crying you're crying **


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